paine



(No ModeL) W, H. PAINE.

TENSION DEVICE FOR THE GABLES 0E CABLE RAILWAYS.

N0. 411,675. Patented Sept. 24 1889.

N PETERS. rmo-um n m. Waxbiugmn. n. c.

UNITED. STATES PATENT Fries.

Q l... A. -rnn l WILLIAM H. PAINE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 411,675, datedSeptember 24, 1889. Application filed February 6, 1889; $erial No.298,834. (No model.)

To all 1071,0122, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLLAM H. PAINE, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Tension Devices for the Cables ofCable Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My improvements relate to the devices employed for maintaining the cableof a cable railway as nearly as possible at an even tension whatever bethe fluctuations in the amount of load or strain upon it. On some roadsthe cable as it passes from the drivingdrum runs over a pulley or drumcarried by a truck, to which a weight is connected in such a manner asto eifect a constant tensional strain upon the cable. The weight isconnected to the truck by a cable, which passes over an idle roller orpulley, and as the truck constantly vibrates on its track this cable asit travels over'its sheave or pulley is subjected to constant wear uponsome portion of its length. \Vith the ordinary arrangement the portionso subjected to wear remains the same, even when this cable is shortenedin length in order to keep the weight at about the same position,notwithstanding an increase of length in the main driving-cable. Thecustomary arrangement also has the disadvantage that when sudden andgreat strains applied to the cable are by the tensiontruck transmittedto the tension-weight they are apt to cause the weight to rise with suchrapidity as to endanger breakage of the sheave and frame from which itis hung.

My improvements have for their object the remedying of these defects andthe addition of certain further novel features, which will be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings, and then pointed out in theclaims.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tension devices ofthe cable of a cable railway embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is an endelevation. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the air-cushionand plunger.

1 may represent a portion of the frame of a truck, the wheels of whichare shown. at 2, running upon track This truck carries a sheave orpulley 4, around which passes main driving-cable 5 on its way from thedrivingdrums. (Not shown.) The cable 6, attached to the truck 1 andhaving weight 7 suspended upon it, applies a constant strain to thecable -5, so as to take up all slack whatever be the variation of strainupon the cable owing to differences of load or other causes, so that thefriction or grip of the cable upon the driving-drums will remain thesame.

Oustomarily the cable 6 has been single and has been passed over asingle idle-roller. I double this cable, as shown, and pass its twoparts over the two sheaves or pulleys S 8. I provide the weight 7 with apulley 9, under which the cable 6 passes, and which thus serves as asuspensory device for the weight. The weight 7 is preferably providedwith a number of holes 10, in which auynumber of suitable bars of iron11 or heavy metal may be placed, so that the tension upon the cable 6may be adjusted as required. One end of cable 6 is, as shown, directlyattached to the frame 1 of the truck at 12. The other end is fixed to adrum 13, carried by shaft ll, having bearing upon the truck-frame 1, andhaving keyed to it a gear or ratchet wheel 15, with the teeth of which agravity-pawl 16 may engage to hold the drum and fix the length of thecable (3 at any point of adjustment. To turn the drum 13 for lesseningthe length of the cable (1 when it becomes necessary by reason of theincrease of length of the main cable 5, I employ a worm or endless screw17 carried by ashaft 18, having handwheel 19. The worm 17 engages withthe teeth of the wheel 15, so that by turning the hand-Wheel 19 thedrum. let maybe turned as required. This drum may, if desired,beemployed also for retaining the drum from rearward movement, thus doingaway with the ratchet 16. The shaft 18 preferably turns in blocks 20,having pins 21, one pivoted in a bracket 22 on the frame 1 and the othertravelingin aslotted bracket on said frame. By this means the drum 17maybe thrown away from engagement with the wheel 15, so that on liftingthe ratchet 16 said wheel may revolve and pay out the cable 6. lVhen theworm 17, however, is put in engagement with the gear-wheel 15, it maybeso held by screwing tight the nut 2% on the pin 21, which slides inslotted bracket The advantage in employing a double instead of a singlecable 6 and using two sheaves or pulleys 8 in connection with the pulleyupon the Weight 7 will now be apparent. So long as the length of cable 6remains unche nged the vibration of the truck 1 upon the track willcause the cable 6 to run over both the sheaves 8, thus distributing thewear of the cable over two surfaces. W'hen, however, the lengthening ofthe main cable 5 causes the truck 1 to gradually approach the sheaves 8,and so lower the weight 7 more than is desired, the drum 13 is turned bythe means already described and the cable partially wound onto the drum.By this means a new portion of the cable 6 to take the wear is broughtover both the sheaves 8 and under the pulley 9, and, this change of allthe wearing-surfaces being produced at every adj ustment of the drum 13,the life of the cable 6 is greatly lengthened. Besides the saving of thecable 6, the doubling of it over the pulleys 8 9 and the attachment ofbut one end of the cable to the drum 13 enables the winding of the cableon the drum with one-half the power which would be required to wind asingle cable.

It is desirable that, while the strain of weight 7 upon the truck 1should remain substantially constant during the main part of thetraverse of the truck upon its track, some means may be employed toarrest more firmly the upward movement of the weight, and so prevent theoutward movement of the truck when any unusual strain is put upon themain driving-cable. For this purpose, therefore, I throw in extraresistance as the weight reaches the upper limit of its movement.Preferably for this purpose I employ a plunger 25, whose head 26 movesin a cylinder 27, which may be closed both at top and bottom. Adownwardly-closing clack-valve 28 on the head 26, covering apertures 29in said head, while freely opening to allow the downward movement ofplunger 25 under the influence of gravity when the weight 7 falls awayfar enough to release said plunger, closes on the upward movement of theplunger, so that the air-cushion above the head 26 and the partialvacuum below it in the cylinder 27 oppose a gradually-increasingresistance to such upward movement. The packing of the head 26 within.the cylinder may be made as tight as required, but is not necessarilyair-tight. Preferably the impact of the weight 7 on the lower end of theplunger 25 is central of the weight, and to this end a frame 30 may befixed or placed on the weight to straddle the pulley 9 and receive saidplunger.

The cylinder 27 andthe guide-bracket 31 of plunger 25 are preferablyboth mounted, as shown, upon frame 32, which carries the pulleys 8.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as newtherein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1.' The combination, with the truck carrying the tension sheave orpulley, of a cable, a weight, two sheaves or pulleys, and a single cabledoubled on itself, as shown, said cable connecting the weight to thetruck and having one member passing over each of said sheaves orpulleys, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the truck-carrying tension-sheave, of a cable,a weight, two sheaves or pulleys, andasingle cable doubled on itself, asshown, and connected to said weight and having its two members passingover its two sheaves or pulleys, and mechanism on said truck foradjusting said cable, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a truck carrying the tension-sheave, of acable, a weight, pulleys, a single cable doubled on itself running oversaid pulleys and connected to said weight, and an adjustable drum onsaid truck to which one end of said second cable is connected,substantially as set forth. 7

4. The combination of the truck 1, drum 13, having bearing on saidtruck, weighted cable 6, connected to said drum, gear 15, and pivotedworm-shaft 18, all arranged and adapted to operate substantially as setforth.

5. The combination of the truck 1, pulleys 8, weight 7, having pulley 9,and cable 6,

assin over said ulle s and havin means.

of adjustment on said truck, substantially as set forth.

6. The weight 7, having holes 10, in combination with additional weights11, adapted to occupy said holes, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of the truck 1 and

